The Miami Heat had quite an injury scare during Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup against the New York Knicks.
Jimmy Butler appeared to roll his ankle during the fourth quarter after he was fouled by Knicks guard Josh Hart on a 2-point attempt, and the Heat forward ended up staying down for a bit.
Jimmy Butler is down after turning his ankle 😬 pic.twitter.com/N4FaF8CFhW
— Backcourt Alerts (@BackcourtAlerts) April 30, 2023
Butler limped over to the Heat bench, but he wound up remaining in the game. He then took a pair of free throw attempts, and Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra decided not to remove the six-time All-Star from the tightly contested playoff game.
Miami did not rely on Butler much down the stretch, as the likes of Kyle Lowry and Gabe Vincent rose to the occasion in the fourth quarter to help the Heat clinch a crucial 108-101 win in Game 1 of this series.
During his postgame interview with ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth, Butler was asked just how his ankle is feeling, and the forward kept it simple with his response.
“Like a rolled ankle,” Butler said.
Cassidy Hubbarth: "How's [the ankle] feeling?
Jimmy Butler: "Like a rolled ankle." 😅pic.twitter.com/zDXwHuq2ZK
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 30, 2023
Spoelstra noted after the game that he currently does not have any update regarding the severity of Butler's ankle ailment.
“No idea,” Spoelstra said. “You just don't know with ankle sprains.”
Butler finished with 25 points on 50 percent shooting against the Knicks. He attempted just one shot after suffering the apparent ankle injury in the fourth quarter.
Overall, the Heat held the Knicks to a mere 20.6 percent shooting from 3-point land, and they forced 13 turnovers in the contest.
Game 2 of this series is set for Tuesday from Madison Square Garden.
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